


Return to Iwate - a YATER epilogue

by AERS_Radio



Category: Free!
Genre: Babies, Comfort, Drunkenness, Flowers, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Love, Multi, Painter!Haru, Post-Trauma, Touching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-08-16 21:32:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8118301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AERS_Radio/pseuds/AERS_Radio
Summary: It has been seven years since the Adolescent Mental Resistance project. The scientific community is still bitterly split by the ethics of that experiment, and the outcome of its longer-term experiment, YATER, has turned the divide into an all-out civil war. Toe Labs is facing a violent onslaught of legal challenges that threaten the company's very existence.Rei Ryuugazaki is far from interested in the big picture. The broken man has been living in self-imposed austerity since the death of his dearest friend. Nonetheless, he accepts to break his isolation when Shinichi Matsuoka, formerly Rin, calls for his assistance, prior to a reunion which will open his eyes as to what he truly needs.A happy closure arc for YATER, which was a very dark fic. You don't need to have read the previous episodes to enjoy this.





	1. Darkness

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Young Adult Traumatic Experience Recovery](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5109431) by [AERS_Radio](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AERS_Radio/pseuds/AERS_Radio). 
  * Inspired by [The Adolescent Mental Resistance project](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4458947) by [Redmangos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redmangos/pseuds/Redmangos). 



> The fic takes places roughly 20 months after the events in YATER. Despite the first half of the summary, there will be no technicalities: it's all about the boys, the lab will not appear, there's no trick!  
>   
> Rated M in line with the rest of the series; in this particular fic, there is only some light smut.

Dripping in the sweltering heat and humidity, Rei consciously put one foot ahead of the other as he climbed the steep hill. He reached the fence where he had stood to meet Rin in his new environment: the field was empty. At least the farm wasn't far from there. His effort was nearly finished.

By the time he reached the annex, his legs were aching badly. He was nowhere near as strong as he used to be. He wanted to catch his breath for a moment before knocking on the door, but his host had seen him arriving. The tall, bearded, dark-haired man came out.

“Damn it, Rei, did you _run_ uphill?”, he said half laughing. In between huffs, Rei managed to squeeze out a few words.

“I... made it,... that's... all... that matters...”

The sound of Rei gasping for air worried the resident. His guest was exhausted, but not the satisfied kind of exhausted one gets after working out. Still heaving and wheezing, Rei lifted his head. He not only looked exhausted, but his strained, lean face displayed outright weakness. Like after the experiment. Having very short hair made it look worse.

Shinichi was in no longer in any mood to joke. “That's not beautiful”, he thought, paraphrasing Rei in his mind. “What's happened to you?” The man formerly known as Rin couldn't ask that straight up. He didn't ask anything in fact. In shock, he instinctively grabbed Rei and supported him, taking him inside, and didn't let go until he was sitting down. A large glass of water appeared on the table, which Rei's skinny arm eventually reached out to take small sips from.

Shinichi was stunned. Rei's eyes had become dull, his abilities had diminished spectacularly, as if he was forty to fifty years older. But it had only been two years since Rei had unexpectedly first come to the farm! The physical change was so dramatic, Shinichi could only imagine what Rei's mental state was.

“He hasn't coped with the loss of Nagisa well at all”, he mumbled low enough so that Rei wouldn't hear him over the sound of the kettle boiling. He held back his sadness at the sight so that it didn't look like he was pitying him. Instead, he put on a bold face, sat at the table opposite him and asked firmly if he was ok.

“I'm fine, thank you”, Rei sighed. “What was it you wanted to see me for?”, he asked quickly afterwards.

“Oh, there's loads of time, I'll worry you with that later”, Shinichi replied, dipping his head and blushing very slightly. “Right now, you need to drink plenty and rest some more.”

“ _I don't think you're fine.”_

***

Shinichi stood still outside Rei's room for several minutes, unsure whether to go in or not. He was concerned for his guest's well-being, but he had invited him early for a specific reason, one to do with his own healing process. He felt he wouldn't last another two days in Rei's presence without making his move. It was too important to postpone.

He gulped as he raised one hand, formed a fist and knocked timidly on the wooden pillar.

“Yes? Come in”, called a voice from the other side. Another deep breath, and Shinichi slid the door open. Rei was sitting with his legs crossed on the futon with a book in his hands, and he watched with some astonishment as Shinichi took a few steps forward in an ominous silence. His body language was difficult to decipher: he looked anxious, finding it hard to keep eye contact with Rei, and fear made his eyes water up. The blue-haired man knew there was a topic his host wanted to bring up, and he didn't know whether to push him to express himself or just let him do it in his own time.

Then, suddenly, with a trembling huff mixed with a pitiful yelp, Shinichi untied his obi and hastily threw off his yukata. Rei's jaw dropped, but Shinichi, too scared and ashamed, couldn't bring himself to open his eyes to witness the reaction. He couldn't escape hearing the puzzled grunt and the book falling to the floor though. On the verge of tears, he took a step back. He reasoned that he had at least done _something_ , so he could run away...

“Rin, what the...?”

A red eye opened.

“Wh... what did you call me?”, its owner asked quietly. Startled, Rei stood and bowed.

“I apologise, Shinichi-san! It won't happen again!”, he shouted. Shinichi's head dipped, his shoulders relaxed somewhat. One hand covered his parts while the other wiped his eyes as he started to sob.

“I should be the one to apologise, for shocking you like this”, he replied. He went into a long sequence of statements while crouching down to pick up his clothes. “I'm going to go, I beg you, please try to forget this happened, I wasn't trying to seduce you or anything, it was just a stupid idea...”

“Wait”, Rei interrupted. A pause marked the few seconds it took for him to find his words. “Is this... what you wanted to do?” Another break. “I think I get it. Shinichi, I know you've had trouble accepting to show your body since the experiment. Is that it? Is... Is that it? You've decided to show it again?”

Shinichi was blown away by Rei's intelligence. He couldn't believe that his gesture had been so perfectly understood. It had gone so much better than he could have imagined, that tears streamed down his cheeks. He was just able to open his eyes to give Rei a nod.

“Then it's ok”, Rei smiled. “You can show me. There's nothing to be ashamed of. You have a beautiful body.” The man wasn't lying either. Four years of work on a farm had returned Matsuoka to a muscular stature, albeit a chunkier one, as he didn't need to be slim and hydrodynamic. Rei had once called chest hair “unsightly”, but he admitted that it made an elegant combination with the beard. Only the long face contrasted with the rather majestic rest.

Shinichi, meanwhile, didn't know what to do with himself. He would flinch nervously at regular intervals. He hadn't come to see Rei to flaunt his body, either to impress or seduce, but to overcome his fear of being seen naked. Having dominated that, and sensing that he could trust Rei to react well to him asking, he was ready to take another step forward.

“Rei... Would you accept to... touch me?”, he felt confident enough to request. Rei was unsure. He didn't want to get intimate with Shinichi, but he didn't want to let him down.

“Touch you... where?”, he asked. Shinichi looked down, which wasn't an encouraging sign.

“My skin, my... top half, say”, he replied, to some relief for Rei. A moment of silence nonetheless made Shinichi feel bad. He began to whimper, believing he had asked too much of his friend. But a hand landed on his left cheek, and a thumb wiped away the tears.

“Yes, I'll do that”, Rei whispered.

Shinichi was in heaven for the next few minutes, as he felt two hands stray on his neck, down his arms, all over his torso, around his shoulders and on his flanks. Rei let his fingertips do the talking rather than his palms, and the gentle caresses gave Shinichi goosebumps and shivers of delight. He hadn't felt anything like it in his life, and it was definitely different to how that horrid man at the lab used to touch him.

“It's wonderful, Rei...”, he managed to sigh. “Keep doing that!” His red face no longer betrayed embarrassment, but rather it was the result of him getting warmer and more aroused. Erotic tension was building inside him, to the point where he was urged to reach out, grab Rei's yukata and try to open it.

A skinny frame came into view, the sight of which was distracting for Shinichi, and when one of his shoulders was revealed, Rei realised what was happening and urgently took his hands off of his host and jumped back. Once again, Shinichi was feeling exposed and shameful.

“Should have asked”, he mumbled. “I assumed you were ok with me seeing you. I'm sorry.” Although stunned, Rei let out a forgiving sigh while he re-arranged his suit and re-tied his belt.

“It's not about showing myself”, he whispered. “It's the touching I can't allow.”

“I'm sorry”, Shinichi repeated. Knowing that it would go no further, he bent down to pick up his yukata. “I got carried away, it felt so good... I guess I wanted to give some back.” Rei's head dropped and he closed his eyes in pain. He heard himself, several years earlier, deciding to “give some back” to Nagisa. He was reminded of his heartbroken state.

“Still, I am thankful to you for helping me face my fears”, Shinichi continued, with more power in his voice now that he had put some clothes back on. He approached his guest, who started to gaze vacantly out through the roof light. “I want my body back, and you're the person I trust the most...” Rei wasn't acknowledging. Shinichi joined him, mumbling another “thank you” before staring towards the darkness. The room behind them was rather dimly lit, but it was still too much light for them to make anything out in the dark on the other side of the glass.

“Let's go outside. The night sky is marvellous around here.”

***

Rei and Shinichi layed in the grass in the field immediately next to the annex and feasted their eyes on the great many stars they could see. The weather was clear and warm, and they didn't need to wear an extra layer. Rei eventually managed to break his silence.

“It's like that time... on the island...”, he began nostalgically. “I nearly drowned that night, but Nagisa-kun saved me. And after the experiment, he saved me again by taking me away from my bad habits.” He sniffled as he realised what he had to say next. “Fuck, I miss him! I love him, Shinichi! I still love him! That's why I couldn't let you touch me that way... Only Nagisa-kun can. But he's gone. Gone!”

Shinichi listened carefully, but stayed quiet. As much as there were things he wanted to ask, he felt that he had imposed himself enough on Rei for one evening. Still, the sad, tearful man went on unforced.

“You're probably thinking that I should get over it. But the trial started two months ago, and it all came back to me. How can I forget when I'm constantly reminded?” The last question was one Shinichi was all too familiar with.

“So what have you been doing this last year and a half?”, he intervened. “I mean, I won't lie, and I'm sorry if this is very direct, but I've noticed you've changed.”

“When I had Nagisa-kun, I had everything”, Rei explained slowly. “A companion, affection, an occupation... and anything material I wanted. Then I lost Nagisa-kun, and everything he brought to my life. I had to learn to live without all that, and I figured that I should be prepared to live with less in general: less money, less food...”

“Be prepared, huh? At least his motto hasn't changed...”, Shinichi thought to himself ironically.

“ _Not enough_ food, I'd say”, he butted in. “You didn't eat much tonight, and I read about your problem in court. Honestly, Rei, facing a friend's killer again is the hardest, most taxing thing I can imagine, and you waged that battle on an empty stomach?”

“I... I _had_ eaten that morning”, Rei defended himself. “It was just so hot...”

“Like today!”, Shinichi scolded. “You sweated yourself dry walking up the hill. Did you even have a bottle of water on you?”

“I made it with what I had. What else matters?”

Shinichi sighed at Rei's feeble reply. However, he realised his distressed friend had a lot in common with the last of Rin, so he took on a more compassionate tone.

“You know”, he began while sitting up, “there was a time when I thought the same way as you. I used to love gadgets, music and fashion, I'd always have the latest stuff. But after the experiment, I felt like I didn't deserve all that. I wasn't worthy – I was worthless. I progressively got by with less... then I decided to live _without_ wherever possible. Live away from Tottori, live without my old friends, live without my old name. Live without whatever it took to live without those memories. But, Rei, thinking like that doesn't work. It makes you feel worse. I thought I had to be isolated, I thought I'd be fine. But I was wrong, and it was only when you came back that I understood the harm I was causing. Not only you guys, for not spending time with you, but also myself.”

“Shinichi...”, Rei gasped as he sat up, a glimmer appearing in his eyes at last.

“You saved me, Rei. And you helped me again tonight. And, of course, you saved Rin by giving up your place on the relay in high school. You have no idea how much you matter to me, Rei. I hate seeing you unhappy. I beg you, stop carrying the weight of the world. Be more indulgent with yourself.”

Rei somehow managed to smile despite the emotion. It was the most beautiful thing he had heard since Nagisa's voice wishing him a good morning as they woke up side by side. Shinichi pulled off Rei's red glasses and brought a hand to his overcome friend's cheek.

“Let me wipe those tears away, Rei.”

“Please, give me your shoulder, Shinichi.”

The pair shuffled closer, so that they could hold each other. Rei was unable to hold back any longer. Shinichi's confession had made him realise the state he was in, and that someone cared about it. His friend, meanwhile, was glad to be of assistance to someone who had done so much for him. It didn't write of the debt he felt he had, but it was a start.


	2. Light

Late morning, a large person carrier drove up to the houses. Two dogs came out barking to welcome it, as did the farmer, his wife, Shinichi and Rei.

“Easy, Kunio!”, shouted the old man. He whistled for the dog to come to him and get out of the car's doorways, giving the passengers room, and it obeyed. The quickest to step out of the vehicle was Gou, who ran up to Shinichi, ignoring the second dog who tried to get in her way.

“ _Onii-chan_! I'm so glad to see you!”, she said, and got a good, hearty hug from Shinichi.

“I've missed you too, Gou”, he replied with a huge grin. Gou quickly moved on to salute the owners, important people in her brother's life she hadn't met before. It didn't take long for her attention to be drawn back to the car though, which Sosuke was leaving carrying a baby, followed by Makoto and Haru.

“Are you not letting her walk?”, Gou asked.

“I'd rather not, in case she gets scared of the dogs”, Sosuke answered as he approached tentatively. “Good morning, thank you for having us”, he said to the elderly couple, bowing best he could with his child in his arms. “How's it going, Shinichi? Here, say hi to Uncle Shinichi, Nagi-chan!” He handed over the 15-month-old girl with short, dark red hair. As it had been decided after that fateful weekend, the child had been named Nagisa. Thus far though, everyone called her Nagi-chan.

“Hello, Nagi-chan!”, Shinichi sang, before giving his niece a quick kiss on the cheek, hoping that his beard wouldn't prickle her uncomfortably.

“Rinchi!”, Nagi-chan squeaked. Some awkward laughs could be heard, as many knew how sensitive Shinichi was when it came to his name.

“No, Nagi-chan, it's Shi-Ni-Chi. Shinichi”, she attempted to correct. The baby looked at her with a shy, puzzled face. She looked back up at the man who was holding her, whose smile made her giggle.

“RINCHI!”, she repeated.

Meanwhile, Makoto and Haru had walked up to Rei.

“It's nice to see you again in person, Rei”, said Makoto. “It's been so long...”

“Yeah”, Rei replied, his head dipping. “I'm sorry I haven't been in contact much. I should have at least returned more of your calls. I'm really sorry.” Makoto and Haru just smiled. They knew that Rei was struggling with his resurgent grief amidst the ongoing trial of Nitori and Momotaro.

“Don't worry about it”, Makoto resumed. “Hey, if you want to get some fresh air in Iwatobi Town, you're welcome to stay with us any time.” Rei then remembered that Makoto and Haru started renting a place just to themselves a year earlier, and he had been invited to the house-warming party, but he had refused to go. At the time, he thought he had to live without that sort of fleeting enjoyment, but his conversation with Shinichi the night before had made him conclude that he had probably come over as a bad friend. Still, Makoto and Haru didn't seem to harbour any hard feelings, as they smiled and nodded to further confirm that they'd be happy if he visited. Rei tried to continue the conversation casually, though he felt awkward and full of regret.

“How's it going in your new home?”, he enquired.

“It's great!”, Makoto answered, before going into a few details about where their house was situated. The tall, brown-haired man was always the most talkative of the pair. “And since we don't have a car, Haru uses the garage as his workshop. It's huge! Right, Haru-chan?”

“Yeah”, Haru mumbled in reply. “And drop the - _chan_ in public.” Makoto would argue that they weren't really in public, but he didn't have the chance to. Shinichi was standing by, listening in without wanting to interrupt the Iwatobi boys' reunion, but the subject of Haru's activity gave him the opportunity to join in.

“By the way, Haru, did you bring your painting kit?”, he asked.

“Some of it.”

“Well, have you seen the landscapes here? They're awesome, huh?”

“Very green”, Haru assessed. “And green is not a creative colour.” Makoto laughed.

“It's true, you use very little green”, he commented.

“Anyway, it's great to have you here”, Shinichi resumed. “I'm so happy, I want to hug you both.” Makoto opened his arms to signal that he was happy with the idea, and the two enjoyed the embrace. Haru sneaked in from the side, and soon, Rei also joined in. Sosuke, Gou and the farmers looked on from the outside, listening to the sighs and chuckles.

“Rinchi!”, the baby babbled as she walked up to the four. It broke the huddle, as Shinichi turned to give Nagi-chan an amazed “aw! of course, you can walk now!”, before picking her up.

“Hey, Rei, you haven't met Nagi-chan yet, have you?”, Sosuke remarked. Shinichi duly passed his niece to Rei, who clumsily accepted to carry her. When he had settled, he introduced himself.

“Hello, Nagisa. I was the best friend of your namesake.” Silent again, Nagi-chan gave Rei the typical bemused look a baby has when encountering a stranger. Looking back at her, Rei couldn't help but notice one striking resemblance.

“ _Magenta eyes... Just like Nagisa-kun._ ”

***

Nagi-chan had seen the city of Tottori, and the seaside at Iwatobi, but she hadn't yet seen a forest like the one situated on the mountain above her uncle's farm. A very curious girl, she wanted to touch the leaves and the bark of each tree, the fruit, the ferns, the flowers...

“Oh no, Nagi-chan, don't touch that!”, Shinichi said loudly, pulling her away from some nettles. “Those things sting more than my beard!”, he laughed. He was having a great time showing the child around, and gave her lots of cuddles. Her parents were glad to have someone else entertain their daughter for a while, and Gou and Sosuke enjoyed walking hand in hand. Behind them, Makoto was chatting with Rei, with Haru strolling along beside them with his sketchpad. He would carry it around a lot, so he could quickly draw anything of interest and work on it in paint later on, but, as he had stated on arrival, the woods weren't really to his liking, and the book stayed closed. He had never had a connection with trees, unlike water, which was something that continued to inspire him.

The group reached a less dense part of the forest, where wild flowers were basking in the summer sunlight. Of all sorts of different shapes and colours, they made Rei stop in his tracks. He dropped to his knees to smell some of them. The perfume, the light and the spectrum of colours reminded him of another sad moment of his life, one he had put a lot of energy in to organise, but, just when he thought he might be overwhelmed, he saw Gou and Sosuke stepping aside to pick some. Makoto joined in; the three seemed to be competing to make the best-looking bouquet. Shinichi, meanwhile, sat on a grassy patch and started picking flowers too. He alternated between bopping Nagi-chan's nose with them, and tying stems together. Very soon, he had made a crown of flowers for the baby.

Whatever unhappy images Rei had been about to conjure, the innocent smiles of the moment took over, giving him new memories to associate with such explosions of colours. He looked up to his right. Haru had not joined the others in picking flowers, but his sketchbook was open, and he was at work with his pencil. Even he had found something.

After a while, Makoto ran up to Haru with his bouquet and held it forward.

“For you, Haru-chan!”, he said, with his signature smile on his face, eyes closed, head tilted to one side. Haru paused, and decided he couldn't resist the sight: he flipped over the page on which he was drawing, and started scribbling on a blank sheet of paper.

“Silly Haru-chan!”, Makoto giggled when he realised what had happened in Haru's mind. He leant forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek, then called out for Rei, who had seen the moment and was utterly lost.

“Do you want some of these?”, Makoto asked. “I think Haru's got what he wanted out of them.” Rei approached slowly.

“Are you two... well, together?”, he asked quietly and gingerly. “As in... in love... together?” Makoto showed no shame or shock at the question. He maintained his smile and answered in an almost proud manner.

“I love Haru-chan very much, yes! Being with him and making sure he has everything he wants makes me happy!”

Rei realised that Makoto had come a long way from the nervous wreck he had seen a couple of years prior. Living in a house where he could concentrate on Haru, instead of worrying about his parents and the twins as well, had transformed him, and done him an amazing amount of good, and Rei could sense happiness radiating from Makoto's face and body language. But he was still unsure of something.

“So do you two... er...? I mean, are you... you know, _boyfriends_?”, he blushed. “No, it's not my business...”

“I normally don't kiss or cuddle Haru when we're outside”, Makoto continued, unflappable, and making what he wanted of Rei's awkward mumble. “But out here, it's just us and you guys. I don't need to hide from _you_ the fact that I love Haru-chan this way!” The last sentence echoed with Rei's secrets. Even two years later, he had only told Shinichi about his true relationship with Nagisa. But the way Makoto and Haru expressed their love seemed different. And Rei's surprises weren't over, as Makoto spoke on.

“But, in the end, if love is just wanting someone to enjoy every moment in life, then I will say that I love you too, Rei!”

By now, Rei was almost overcome. He was gasping, his eyes watering up behind his glasses. It wasn't surprising that Makoto clung to an innocent definition of love, since he had suffered atrocious assaults during his second treatment for the virus, but Rei was realising that pleasure could be given in many ways: through physical contact, like his experience would tell him; through words, or simply through a hastily assembled collection of wild flowers.

“Here!”, Makoto concluded, offering the whole bouquet, whereas earlier he had suggested that he'd give something like half. Rei accepted, and disguised his emotional sniffles in the act of smelling the flowers.

“Thank you... Makoto-senpai”, he managed to say, to which Makoto responded with an ever-growing grin. Neither noticed that Haru had stopped drawing, and was watching them with a satisfied smile of his own.

“Yes, we've got Rei back!”, he thought.

Shinichi, Gou and Sosuke made more flower crowns for themselves, but the afternoon was going by, and the group needed to continue its walk after a while. The destination point wasn't far, and Shinichi stopped before another clearing. Gou also came to a standstill, and removed her crown of flowers when she saw where she had been led to: a familiar-looking stone monument stood in the direct sunlight, facing a stunning view of the surrounding mountains.

“This is where I come to pray”, Shinichi told his sister gently, while handing Nagi-chan to Sosuke, who knew this was an important moment for the Matsuoka siblings.

“Rinchi?”, the baby said quizzically, but her father calmed her down.

“Shhh, Uncle Shinichi and Mummy need a moment”, he ordered gently. She seemed to understand, and surveyed the area for something to be curious about. She finally pointed in a vague direction, babbling a little “ _nani?_ ”

“ _Nani?_ ”, Sosuke repeated, approaching a bush. “ _Kore wa nani? Kore?_ ”

Meanwhile, Gou grabbed Shinichi's wrist and looked him in the eyes.

“I want to think of Father with _Rin_ -onii-chan”, she whispered. Her brother agreed, and the two walked up to bow in front of the stone.

Rei followed, and kneeled behind them. Makoto and Haru decided to crouch down either side of him.

“It's for Nagisa, right?”, Haru whispered.

“Yes, always. I pray for his forgiveness.”

“I'm sure he's heard you, Rei”, Haru added. “I bet he's been concerned of late. But we're with you, Rei. Always.” He and Makoto joined Rei in thought. The middle man's prayer would become one of gratitude for the support he was getting, and to ask for the strength to stay in contact with his friends instead of hiding away in his sorrow.

“ _I won't do this to myself again. I promise._ ”

***

Haru had preferred abstract art for a long time, but his portrait of Nagisa had opened up a new world to him. He could paint people, and he could do it well. Not long after he had moved in with Makoto in their new place, separate from the rest of the Tachibanas, his house-mate came up with an unusual request: to be painted topless. Makoto would have no problem posing for Haru, whom he trusted entirely, and he believed that being looked at _indirectly_ could help him face the fear he shared with Rin/Shinichi, so the experiment was attempted. Haru then figured that he could use Makoto as a model to help him improve his drawing skills. He would quickly cease giving instructions out loud, instead moving a nearly naked Makoto into a position manually, and this was allowing his friend to work on his trouble with being touched. Ultimately, both men wanted to swim again, so they focused on finding ways to conquer their respective phobias.

That evening at Shinichi's, though, Haru was not focusing on Makoto. He spent time sketching the baby, using his ability to fade his presence, thus being able to capture natural attitudes. Nagi-chan laughed and played with Shinichi's guests until dinner without noticing Haru, but Makoto could sense him, as his thoughts were in overdrive.

After the meal, Gou wanted to put her daughter to bed, but Haru needed one more sight before he could get to work. Once Sosuke, Shinichi and Rei had left for the evening, Haru set up his easel, and asked Gou and Makoto to pose for him, carrying Nagi-chan. The mother was concerned how long this would take, but before she could even start to think it was dragging on a bit, Haru said he was done.

“That quick?!”, Gou gasped. “Can we see?”

“I've only got the outline, but it's enough”, Haru explained. “Thank you, Gou, and good night, Nagisa!” The baby had found Gou and Makoto's company very comfortable, and had already fallen asleep after an exciting day discovering the forest. Her mother sneaked a peek of Haru's canvas on her way towards the stairs, and the room Rei had slept in the night before. A few minutes later, she returned to the dining room, and was amazed at Haru's progress: he had nearly filled two faces with skin colour.

“He's so fast!”, Gou exclaimed quietly to Makoto.

“Yeah, he paints like he used to swim”, he whispered back. Haru was still a modest character who didn't like hearing too many compliments. “He's efficient and beautiful to watch...”

“Makoto, there isn't much time”, Haru interrupted. “Can you come and mix some colours for me, please? I need three shades of green for the plants, and the colours for the flowers – I let you do those as you like.”

“And he knows what he wants!”, Makoto concluded, smiling as he got up to assist his house-mate. He regularly helped, and, in return, Haru liked giving him room to express himself. Several recent pieces had actually been a combined effort.

Gou continued to look on, but the activity didn't last long. Haru had worked hard that day, and wanted a rest. He set Makoto's palette of colours to one side and carefully stowed the easel with the canvas in a corner, while Gou and Makoto pushed back the table and chairs, which made space for three futons to be laid out. Haru would get up early the next morning to continue the painting, as he wanted Shinichi to see the finished portrait of him with his sister and niece before the gang left the day after. Before bed, he relaxed with Makoto and Gou, drinking some tea and saying a bit more about his current inspirations.

***

At the tavern, the other three were not holding back on the beer. Of course, it wasn't going to take much alcohol to make the lightweight and unaccustomed Rei tipsy, while Shinichi and Sosuke were sturdier men. Those two had been to pubs together before, but only on a few occasions. Before Rin had left, they had done birthdays in a small, quiet bar in Iwatobi Town, and since then, Shinichi had gone to Tottori for Nagi-chan's birth, and he had celebrated the event one evening with Sosuke.

It wasn't long before another familiar face arrived. Mamoru, the village's postman, was elated to finally meet Sosuke.

“I'm the one who has been delivering your letters to Shinichi-kun!”, he said jovially. “You should see his face when I hand the envelope to him and tell him it's from Tottori... His eyes light up and he smiles. It makes him so happy! That said, the first times, he was actually more emotional, and he used to...

“Alright, I think Sosuke gets the picture!”, Shinichi shouted from behind his hands. His childhood friend burst into laughter.

“Yeah, I would have bet you cried at least once!”, he beamed, further amplifying Shinichi's embarrassment.

“Anyway, Mamoru-san, you might remember Rei from some time ago”, he said, changing the subject while still hiding his red face. Mamoru paused for a few seconds, then went into shock when he recognised the lean-looking fellow at the table.

“My goodness, yes!”, he exclaimed. “You've changed so much, but not the glasses at least... So, the Town Boy has become a Buddhist monk of sorts!” Mamoru, meanwhile, hadn't changed a thing, Rei noticed, and certainly not his mocking sense of humour.

“Well, I don't know if monks are allowed alcohol, but here 'goes!”, Rei announced, before raising his glass and downing what was left in it.

The evening went on, with Sosuke and Shinichi launching a series of boisterous, childish songs that reminded them of the good old days when they were competing against each other in the pool. Rei vaguely knew some of them, and tried to join in, but his voice, which had been quite underused of late, broke up quickly. The three couldn't stay out too late, so they enjoyed the time they had to the fullest, aided by the drinks.

It came as a surprise to no-one that Rei ended the evening properly drunk. He groaned when the light from the torches his two companions held showed the steep hill that led to the cottages.

“Here, we'll help you along”, Shinichi scoffed, grabbing Rei's left arm, but his friend yanked himself away, tripping up only to be caught by Sosuke on his right.

“ _Mondai janai!_ ”, he shouted in a staggered manner. “I had... this much to drink last time... and I was fine!”

“You weren't, I had to assist you last time too”, Shinichi insisted, picking Rei up.

“Man, you are going to have one hell of a hangover tomorrow morning!”, Sosuke giggled.

“No problem last time, I tell you!”, Rei protested, but his resistance was gone and he let himself be escorted back to the farm, nattering on with slurred speech along the way. He droned on so consistently that Gou was alerted to their return. She rushed downstairs in her yukata and got to the front door before the three boys did.

“Hey, Gou-chan, we're back!”, Sosuke called, only for his beaming attitude to be cut down by a nasty glance from his spouse.

“Gou-saaaan! I'm so happy to see you again!”, Rei smiled daftly.

“Boys, everyone is asleep!”, Gou growled. “Now all three of you, get to bed _quietly_!”

“No problem, Gou-san!”, Rei replied, before rambling on again about how he'd had this much to drink once before and it hadn't been an issue.

“Rei, be quiet!”, Gou repeated. Shinichi realised that Rei was going to be a pain for Haru and Makoto if he had to sleep downstairs, so he shook him gently, saying “come on, you're sleeping in my room tonight.”

“Waitwait, in _your_ room?”, Rei mumbled. “Are you going to do that thing again where you mmmffmm...?”, he continued, only for Shinichi to cover his mouth, reacting swiftly to the near-escape of an intimate secret.

“No, we're going straight to sleep”, the older Matsuoka ordered. His sister waited for everyone to be calm before opening the front door again, and she led them towards the stairs. On the way, Rei failed to hold back.

“Oh, look! Makoto and Haruka are sleeping here!”, he observed.

“Rei!”, Gou whispered powerfully. “Quiet!”

“Oh yeahyeah, I forgot”, he said, before falling into the most annoying drunk trope in the book. “Shhhh...”

“Too loud, Rei-kun”, Gou added.

“Shhh”, Rei repeated. “Gou-san, you're too loud, you'll wake the baby!” The young woman looked like she was about to explode with anger, while Shinichi, who was supporting Rei as they started to climb the steps, was in silent hysterics and couldn't move forward.

“ _Onii-chan_ , it's not funny!”

“Sorry, Gou”, he whispered after catching his breath. It wasn't sincere; in his state, he had genuinely found Rei's antics funny. It took another half-minute to get everyone in their respective bedrooms, and it wasn't long before the exhausted quartet had dozed off.

***

The next morning, Gou was among the first up because the baby needed to be fed. When she reached the main room downstairs, she found Haru continuing his painting as he had promised. Makoto was still asleep on the floor; she thought he looked cute.

“He is adorable”, Haru confirmed. “I've already done sketches of him sleeping. Haven't got round to painting it yet. I don't think he'd like me to.”

“I guess the boys upstairs won't be up for a while”, Gou sighed, changing the subject. “Have you eaten?”, she added, as she opened the cupboards to see what she could cook.

 

At least an hour later, Rei woke up with a headache, as Sosuke had predicted, and was surprised to find himself lying topless next to Shinichi.

“Crap!”, he exclaimed discreetly, pulling the sheet over his chest in a slight panic. Shinichi was woken up by the agitation.

“Mmh... Good morning, Rei”, he mumbled, before slowly opening his eyes. He saw his room-mate with a frightened look on his face. “Chill, nothing happened between us last night”, he giggled. “You were so drunk, you would have been quite incapable. Are you alright?” Rei brought a hand to his head. “Yeah, I'm not surprised.”

“I soooo want to do nothing today!”, Rei groaned, managing to relax a bit.

“I'm sure that can be arranged”, Shinichi replied, placing his arms behind his head, bathing in the morning sunshine pouring in through the roof light.

 

**THE END**


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